Lady Justice atop the golden dome of the Chenango County Courthouse in Norwich. (Photo by Tyler Murphy)

CHENANGO COUNTY - The Chenango County District Attorney’s Office presented several cases to a grand jury last week and multiple defendants where indicted with a range of felonies, including rape, drug possession, stolen property and forgery.

Brandon P. King was indicted on first-degree rape (class B felony), first-degree burglary (class B felony), two counts of second-degree menacing (class A misdemeanor), and criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation (class A misdemeanor).

Prosecutors allege that on January 17, 2025, in the Town of Norwich, King armed himself with a rifle and then broke into a home through a window. Prosecutors alleged that King restrained the victim, held a knife to their neck, and strangled them. They reported the victim fought back despite having a gun aimed at them.

Another defendant in a separate case was accused of attacking a victim in violation of an order of protection issued by a local court.

Joseph D. Wolcott, Jr. was indicted on first-degree criminal contempt (class E felony), third-degree criminal mischief (class E felony), three counts of second-degree criminal contempt (class A misdemeanor), petit larceny (class A misdemeanor), and second-degree harassment (violation).

According to the indictment, on January 4, 2025, in the Town of Greene, Wolcott allegedly violated a stay-away order of protection by visiting a residence and yelling and banging on the victim’s door. During the incident, he is accused of smashing a vehicle’s windshield, stealing a key, and physically striking the victim in the head with their own cell phone.